<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Average Jo(e) - Additional Shorts by TheYeeteor (Greeneggsyeet)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419191">Average Jo(e) - Additional Shorts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greeneggsyeet/pseuds/TheYeeteor'>TheYeeteor (Greeneggsyeet)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Average Jo(e) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Penguins of Madagascar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:20:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greeneggsyeet/pseuds/TheYeeteor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shots and chapter inserts that fit into the plotline of Average Jo(e). Each has its own description inside this collection of stories, and information about where it falls in the main fic. </p>
<p>This will be updated with new shorts as they are written. Hope you enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Average Jo(e) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161173</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. King Julien on Cloud Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chapter 19.5: King Julien on Cloud Nine</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This chapter takes place between Chapter 19: [Everything in its Place], and Chapter 20: [All’s Well] of Average Jo(e).</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Short Description: King Julien is still in a sour mood about his party’s fowl end. That is, until he catches sight of a new shiny desk that keeps him preoccupied. When the King goes sky high, there are only flightless birds left to save him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">———</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ugh, Maurice, you are not putting your back into my back!” Julien wailed, the aye-aye putting all his effort into giving him a massage.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry your majesty, but this is the second deep-tissue request this morning and-“</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I do not want to be hearing any of the excuses.” The King stretched out from the pressure, lazily finding the bendy straw in his smoothie to swirl. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’ve been down on us since the Penguins crashed our party. Sure you don’t wanna talk about it?” Maurice worked up to the shoulders, trying to squeeze out the truth about why King Julien was so upset.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What makes Penguins so… smelly?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Uhh, their diet.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, Maurice.” He paused between sips. “Actually you do have a point, but I meant smelly in the attitude way.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh.” The shorter lemur slowed down on his tapping massage routine.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do you know how humiliating it is to have a victory extravaganza ruined by those you have just won against?” Julien put his free paw up to his forehead like a drama King.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, not really.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It is very much so!” The King slumped down again, barely any energy left to drink his breakfast.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“C’mon, I know what will get your mind off that night.” Maurice rose up, walking around to show off the boom box. “What about another dance party, just you, me, and Mort!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With a long sigh, the king rolled over, still sipping his smoothie upside-down.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Everything is too topsy-turvy…” Julien whined. Music had never made him upset before, but being part of the reason he was feeling blue meant it wouldn’t cheer him up this time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait, what about kicking Mort?” Maurice hadn’t realized how serious this was, but knew it was bad news waiting if this mood wasn’t fixed quickly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here I am.” Mort waved to his King after being held up as an option for levity.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">King Julien was about to reject the idea, but a glint struck him right in the eyes, making him shield his face before taking a second look. Alice was carting a big shiny box out of the main office, before getting a call on her walkie-talkie.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yo, Alice. You got that desk outside yet? Shouldn’t be a problem for ya.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, I got it all set up.” She rolled her eyes since the receiver couldn’t see. “Of course it was no problem.<em> How hard can it be</em> to move a one hundred and fifty year old solid oak desk?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright I’ll be there soon and we can lift this puppy to Hoboken.” Alice made her hand into a talking gesture, but then made a small double take at the surface. She seemed to have forgotten the turning stick to raise the drawers, and rushed back inside to find it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Zooming back to the lemur habitat, Maurice was worried, being the only lemur not to have a thousand-yard stare.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Uhh, your majesty?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Shut up a little.” Julien sprung up, grabbing the aye-aye and turning him to face the desk. “Let us go see what that big shiny box is!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Me too?” Mort piped up, to Julien’s annoyance.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No. Not you. You stay here and… keep doing whatever it is you do.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Okay!” Mort went back to playing on his Game-Boy, leaving Maurice to follow Julien’s lead to the desk. Seeing it close up revealed the delicate carved swirls and high gloss varnish on the dark oak wood.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What a handsome table!” The King winked at his reflection, sprawling out on top. While Maurice was happy that he seemed to be in a good mood, he looked over his shoulder, wary of Alice returning.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Really nice, but we need to get back to our habitat before Alice sees us!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Do not be worrying about us returning to our bouncy paradise. Instead, be worrying about how you are going to bring Reginald home with us.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Reginald?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, but we will call him Reggie for short.” Julien slid his paws along the sleek surface, Maurice looking around. “We are still not moving. What is the matter?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I can’t lift that by myself!” Maurice was used to attempting the impossible but this was a step too far. “Only one of the large animals could do that, but they don’t want anything to do with us after that April Fools’ fiasco!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You will find another way, lest you will be severely puni-shed!” The King had the final say, leaving a dejected Maurice to figure out a plan. Taking a glance around, he decided it was high time to call in a favor from the Penguins.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Julien climbed on the underside of the desk, finding a little keyhole that was flapped open. Remembering how he had enjoyed the hidden compartment in the Birds’ submarine, he wedged himself in the letterbox and raised the flap with a paw until he was snug, cozy, and content.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hearing the zoo office door shut again, Maurice gasped, leaping into a nearby topiary to hide.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright I found it, bring the hook down.” Alice squinted, looking up at the distant helicopter that slowly lowered down, and she prepped the harness and strapped the desk in for the air lift. “Ok, nice and easy!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The King’s right hand man watched in horror as the desk began to lift into the air. Julien, thinking it was Maurice’s doing for a split second, was pleased, until he felt the sensation of falling, causing Alice to notice the straps needed adjustment.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Help! Maurice! I am trapped!” King Julien tried his best to shout out of the keyhole over the helicopter, but the aye-aye was already getting a head start on running to get the Penguins’ help, trusting they would know what to do.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Squeezing himself farther from the drawer to peep outside, the ring-tailed lemur only saw a glimpse of Maurice before becoming blinded again. The stark light flooding in from the keyhole mirrored the bright lamp inside the art studio as the scene changed. Jo was giving Kowalski a pop reading comprehension test.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Three… Two… One…” She stopped the crank timer before it could alarm, and Kowalski put the paper down, immediately prompted to summarize the information he had read. “What happened in the story?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It was about two cats struggling in the grocery aisle to find the ingredients for apple pie, but I really don’t understand why Susan felt the need to buy <em>three-hundred</em> apples, and I wish this rubbish actually made any sense logically!” Kowalski rushed to get his point across in time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re not supposed to make sense of what is happening!” Jo tried to avoid admitting the three-hundred apples was her own faulty math… but either way, gave the analyst encouragement for learning. “That summary was great, though, you did miss the crucial point of the grocery store being <em>abandoned</em>.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Which sentence was that?” Kowalski re-opened the short, skimming it for any words he still didn’t understand fully. Jo pointed to the second establishing line, marking it with a dash. On the table were several other short stories to target his understanding of words in context, each with less corrections than the last.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t worry, after a break I’m sure it will click!” She got up and made sure the timer was off and put away before waddling past the scientist. Joining the others in the main room, they took note of the riveting game of go-fish Rico, Private, and Skipper were playing.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Want us to deal you in?” Skipper glanced up from his pile of winnings.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Not right now, sir.” Jo nodded, Kowalski holding up a flipper to shake his head no.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Suit yourself.” The captain glanced over his cards again before shaking his head too. “Rico, go fish.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Aww man.” Rico sadly coughed up more fish to add to the other Penguin’s winnings.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Private looked up from his cards when Jo came to sit down next to him with her cup of lukewarm coffee. With a little smile, he nudged her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve got this round for sure!” He tilted his cards towards her slightly. “If I do win, I’ll save the freshest salmon for you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kowalski gave Private a look, but the moment was interrupted by the sound of their secret hatch opening. Considering all Penguins were accounted for, this meant it could only be Marlene, Roger, Hans, Blowhole, Rats… several other friends and foes… Maybe their entryway wasn’t really such a secret anymore.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When Maurice skittered down the ladder, they leapt into action, each stowing their cards away.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Guys, you gotta help me.” He started to plead.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, we aren’t under any obligations to help <em>Lemurs</em>.” Skipper asserted, shutting that notion down.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Come on, you can’t still be upset.” Maurice had realized how similar Julien and Skipper could be a while ago, and this just added another layer to that inclination.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We aren’t upset, but there are <em>several reasons to be</em> when it comes to our fur-coated <em>neighbors</em>.” The slick leader started racking his mind for examples of lemur antics in case he had to push any reminders.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Then how about this, you birds still owe <em>me</em> a favor or two, and we don’t have time to discuss.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s true.” Kowalski reasoned with Skipper. “Maurice has helped us recently, and we do owe him exactly two favors.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Fine. What’s so urgent?” Skipper put his hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s King Julien-“</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Woah, no.” The Penguin commander made an X with his flippers in denial. “He can get himself out of whatever tree he’s gotten himself stuck in.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This ain’t no tree!” Maurice pointed up towards the sliver of sky outside the hatch, referring to the low hum of the helicopter. “He got trapped in a desk that is being taken up to Hoboken!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The entire group rushed up to the plateau, gawking at the sight of the desk floating higher and higher. Skipper knew the dire consequences of leaving Ringtail in that predicament.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Rico, flight gear.” The leader nodded to the demolitions expert, making it clear he wasn’t trying to make amends with Julien. “We do this to pay back our debt to Maurice.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hocking up the four sets of wings Rico passed each their set. Kowalski, Private, and Skipper were already strapping in, when a sad grunt from the supply bird caught their attention. The little Brit saw Jo lacking any flight gear, and offered his set up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here, you need these.” Private held the wings and goggled out as Rico coughed up a couple of soda bottles at a time. “Maybe you’ll be able to look for more clues up there after the rescue!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No time to wait.” Skipper took note of her backing away, and slid the gear and freshly shaken soda onto her back.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What? I’ve never flown before!” Jo began to panic, before Kowalski tapped her shoulder.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You passed the driving test, making you eighty percent cleared for flight too.” He tried his best to reassure her, until she reminded him why that wasn’t so reassuring.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My driving test ended with a crash!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh no.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was too late, the bottles went off, sending three of the four prepared Birds into the air. Slipping his goggles off, Skipper examined his soda bottle, only now noticing that it was flat. He knew that last movie marathon was a bad idea.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In the air, Kowalski and Rico expertly timed their ascent to get to the altitude of the desk. With no time to waste, they worked in tandem and the second in command made a sign for the sergeant to toss him something to cut the cables with.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They had to time this perfectly for the desk to land on the bounce castle, but their idea came to an abrupt halt when the cables sparked slightly, their metal cords resistant to blades. In that instant, Rico regurgitated a stick of dynamite.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sadly, kaboom! was not the solution this time, and Rico ended up getting a face full of flames, his flight gear getting damaged in the process.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Rico!” Kowalski yelled, looking down for the first time to witness his charred teammate land safely on the rubber castle. Finding Jo struggling to gain any altitude, the analyst realized it was up to him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Getting closer to the desk, he finally made contact, locating Julien.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Get me outta here!” The lemur shouted out of the little hole, before peeking an eye out again to watch as Kowalski took a bobby pin out from his crown feathers.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Move back!” The lock pick warned, not wanting to deal with a medical emergency at ten-thousand feet. It takes a minute under nerves, but eventually the flap forcefully sprung open, allowing the lemur to escape… right into a free-fall.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Kowalski flapped in place, watching as his oversight became a new dangerous situation. Taking a dive, he rushed to catch up to Julien in time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">For once, a struggle to get up to speed during a mission was a good thing. Jo was able to get her goggles on, looking up at the scene. In that instance, she focused on King Julien, making a bee line to save him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Such low altitude allowed her to grab the Lemur and dive into the water of their nearby habitat, the chilled water stinging at the high speed, but it was better than the concrete would have felt. Kowalski pulled up, able to breathe a sigh of relief once everyone regrouped around the hatch.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rico put out his crest feathers while Jo and Julien surfaced, gasping for air before she slipped her goggles up. She wrapped his arms around her to carry him up and out of the water the way she had been trained to.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After his coughing fit and shakeout, the Lemur King felt rejuvenated.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That was horrifying!” His words were true but the group was taken aback by his grin. “I have never felt so alive, than to have my life saved by this lady penguin.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jo was astounded, looking at the King while Kowalski scowled at him.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Of course Kowalski gets a door prize for you know, opening the door…” Julien tried to appease the masses. “But I hereby grant that Jo be considered an honorary lemur!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No way!” Skipper barked. “She is a member of our<em> team</em>, not one of your lackeys!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“In that case…” Julien saw this as a scheduling issue, not anything deeper. “She can have Maurice’s job.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait, what?” Maurice felt a pang of jealously in his chest, which was odd considering his job was horrible, but it was still <em>his </em>place. Jo waved her flippers to ease the tension again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m fine.” She nodded, looking around at the group. “Whatever label you place on me, as long as I can keep creating, that’s all I need.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Skipper puffed up with pride, smiling before the King began speaking again.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What I need is another <em>smoothie</em>.” With a stretch, several joints popped from his crown to the last ring of his tail. “All this mortal peril has me fami-shed.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The lemurs had started walking off, but Julien spoke one last aside towards Jo.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If you ever want to<em> create</em> more funky dance moves, you know where to find me.” With a wink, the lemur King left, leaving the group of birds stunned before they all started a jovial celebration of a mission well accomplished.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">King Julien enjoyed the smoothie, and Maurice reinstated his loyal position by finding the desk polish Alice had chucked, getting to work making every wood object in their little kingdom sparkle with the same radiance as the lofty desk.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Feathers and Fluff (Valentine's Day Special)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chapter 13.25: Feathers and Fluff (Valentine’s Day Special)</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This special takes place between Chapter 13: [Good Initiative, Bad Judgement], and Chapter 14: [Moonbeam Boogie] of Average Jo(e).</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Short Description: Valentine’s Day is popular in the zoo, prompting Skipper to give his men the day to enjoy. While Rico has everything planned out with Ms. Perky, and Skipper has a date, Private and Kowalski try to come up with a sweet surprise for Jo, who is too enamored with her work to realize what is happening, despite Marlene’s intuition.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">It was already a great morning. Everyone woke up giddy, the penguins going about their business without a hitch, scuttling from the coffee pot to the fridge to grab breakfast. Skipper preened himself in the full-length mirror he kept near his cabinetry, his feathers glowing before long with extra sparkle. Humming softly, he turned to see the other team members gathered around the table.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Since the new year, each had an unspoken resolution, and with spring on the way things were looking up. Hard work pays off, and seeing Kowalski discussing something or other intently with Private and Jo made him share a hearty nod with Rico at the genuine camaraderie being presented. Of course, the captain considered that today being a certain holiday may have these boys in a good mood, too.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Alright men…” The suave sailor addressed them at this unofficial meeting. “Seeing how it is <em>Valentine's Day</em>, I’m giving an order for R&amp;R —Rest and Romance~” He wiggled his brows dramatically, causing each penguin to have their own reaction.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Ooh la la.” With a happy growl, Rico looked over his shoulder to Ms. Perky, who was leaned up against the wall near the TV. Private Looked from the doll to Jo, who seemed to be smiling about the couple. He put his flippers on the table, causing him to notice how blasé Kowalski was at the good news.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Just like with most orders for recreation, they all immediately took their dismissal. Jo watched as Rico showed off his smooth wooing towards his valentine, and was amazed at the level of grace he dipped her with. Meanwhile, the scientist had waddled back on into the lab.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">For a while, he had been keeping the lab door open when there weren’t volatile experiments or strenuous thinking sessions going on, and Private saw this as a good sign for how much Kowalski had been changed for the better by the new situation. It gave the little Brit an opportunity to talk to him one on one more often, which had led to a small understanding.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“So, um, Kowalski…?” Private began to question the tall bird before the other got too deep in any experiments.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, Private?”He put down the clipboard, letting the corporal know he had his full attention.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Well, I was wondering if you had any plans for today. You know, considering we have the day to spend…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Let me see…” Kowalski looked through a few pages of ideas for new inventions, breakthroughs, theories, and changes to make on old failed experiments. The moment of hesitation, though, made him request more information from the short penguin before him. “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I wanted to ask you for a favor.” Private sheepishly tapped his flippers together, not used to telling Kowalski anything personal. It was at the brainiac’s mild exasperation, considering the fact Private wore his heart on his flipper.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“A favor?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“It’s not for me!” The selfless soul wanted to get any misconception out of the way first, knowing their track record with assumptions. “I noticed that Jo may be a bit of a romantic.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Obviously.” Kowalski chalked it up to Jo being a woman, but from his sour past experiences that didn’t change anything in aspects of how successful a display of affection would be. “Your point being…?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I want to do something nice, but you have more experience with music.” Private tried to explain his reasoning.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Music?” The scientist hadn’t thought about his passion for song in a while but wondered about this sudden request. Raising a flipper, he considered the logistics. “I could strum a tune… but why not ask Skipper?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Private shrugged a little, before tilting his head. “I think Jo would appreciate a kind gesture from you, after all of the fuss.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I don’t know if this is such a good idea…” Kowalski slowly put his flipper down. He had been rough on her for quite some time, and even barring the usual trials a new recruit needed to go through, and her own anger management issues… there were still rocky instances. Perhaps this would be a good way to make amends. “…but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to at least try.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Private exuded his usual joy, even causing the apprehensive Kowalski to break a smile. Seeing that the only colorful area in the room was the studio, and considering another way to make Jo happier, the little penguin pointed at the distant main room. “We could even make the headquarters a little brighter!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You mean-“</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“A surprise party!” Private yelled, before looking to make sure nobody overheard. Whispering a bit, he continued. “I’ll get some of my scrapbooking supplies if you take care of making sure the others are none the wiser and out of our feathers.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">With a nod, Kowalski followed Private out into the main room, and they took note of the lonely captain finishing his cup of coffee. Giving a nod to Kowalski, Private went over to his cabinet to sort through anything to decorate with. It wouldn’t be so hard, especially with help from the taller penguin, and various inventions.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Skipper.” Kowalski started. As the lead penguin raised a brow, he questioned the analyst.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Kowalski? Aren’t you usually <em>missing in action</em> on days like <em>today</em>?” Skipper remembered last year, especially after the details about the latest round of dolphin rejection.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I-“ Kowalski tried to contain his frustration. “That is impertinent.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Alright, alright. What is it?” He sipped, squinting at the lieutenant.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“We were wondering if you were going to be in HQ today and this evening.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“What?” Skipper took a second to consider the implications, but then realized that this was <em>Kowalski </em>asking. “No. I have a <em>hot date </em>planned and won’t be back until much later.” The leader looked at the wall clock and realized it was high time he got going on preparations. “That’s my cue.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Skipper got up, tossing his mug in the rack, and leaving a shocked scientist behind as he jaunted up the ladder and out the slammed hatch. That was easier than expected -and also explained exactly why the captain had been so quick to assign the day off.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Upon hearing the tunnel door open, the remaining duo turned to see Jo coming back, holding a bright pink stamp in her flippers.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Jo? Whatchu got there?” Private quickly hid the decorations, before getting up to see the gift.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Rico gave me one of the extra heart stamps he collected. It’s a duplicate, but he has so many others…” She smiled, before mentioning his whereabouts. “He’s out for a joyride with Ms. Perky now.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, did he say what time he would be back?” Private questioned.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“No, but I think he has plans.” She shut the door, before recalling her own decisions about what to do with this extra time. Looking towards Kowalski, she wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any fight later. “Sir, unless you have any urgent schematics for me to draft, I would like to focus on personal artwork today.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t worry, there is no work waiting for you in the lab.” Kowalski hadn’t really thought about her continued formality after their brief discussions of biology and the historical aspects of science. Now it struck him as a tell that some part of their dynamic was still very stilted.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you.” She bowed slightly, before relaxing and smiling at Private. “Do you want to come watch me work?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Of course!” Private nodded, before taking it back slightly. “I mean, I would like to, but Kowalski asked me for help today!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Ah.” Jo nodded back in understanding, missing the questioning gaze Kowalski gave the corporal at his bluff. “Then let me know if you two need help with anything.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She wrote off the awkward shimmy into the lab as her own fault, and upon closing the door the new idea to make handmade Valentines for those she was closest to filled the artist with new inspiration for the day.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">On the other side, Kowalski came up to the shamefaced Private to shake his head. </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry bout that…” Going back to work, the chubby corporal finished setting out his decorations, before the soft sound of the other penguin tuning a banjo caught his attention.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“This doesn’t seem right.” The strummer admitted, glancing up to Private.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sure it will once you get it sounding fine again.” The Brit smiled, before pointing to the small pile of decorations he had started setting up. “I need bigger materials, so I’m headed off to the lost and found to see if there are any balloons or colorful curtains.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Why would anyone bring curtains to the Zoo?” Kowalski postulated.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You never know! Alice has to set up decorations for the lobby all year round so there may still be some red decor, faded pink by now.” Private rebuked, before giggling slightly at Kowalski’s surprised face. “Anyway, off I go.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Once Private had left, the sound of the main hatch closing was followed by the lab door opening. Kowalski thought fast, using the banjo case to cover the most conspicuous decor, and hoping Jo wouldn’t question the others. Instead, she seemed to be hiding something of her own in her flippers behind her back. The scientist didn’t question her, but she gave an explanation anyway.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I’m just going to deliver a few gifts for my friends.” She hesitated, almost walking towards the exit before speaking up. “If you do go into the lab, please don’t go to the studio!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“No problem. I’m not planning on going back to the lab for a while…” He trailed off, hoping Private did appreciate how much effort he was exerting for the little chap.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Great! Thank you!” She bowed a bit, not noticing the little cutout heart that fluttered down from the pile of cards she carried. Instead, she rushed up and out the door, leaving the scientist alone to examine the scrap, putting it onto his clipboard in case it would be missed.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The image of the heart on the clipboard transitioned into the same kind of heart on a piece of fabric inside the lost and found. The flippers holding it, however, were Skipper’s.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“What could be more fitting for a <em>romantic escapade</em>?” He hummed, talking to himself as he collected his own materials to show his feelings tangibly. Of note, a glass bottle of grape juice, picnic basket, entire baguette, and several other goodies had been collected from various drop off locations around the zoo.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Skippah, is that you?” Private sauntered into the lost and found, causing the captain to put the fabric down to see his favorite corporal.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Private? What are you doing here?” He looked at the bashful Brit, trying to discern anything from his stance.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I’m looking for some decorations and such-“</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Hot beans on toast!” Skipper felt so proud. “You have a date!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“What?” Private shook his head, putting his flippers up and laughing a little. “Oh no, nothing like that, this is for a friend.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Sure.” The captain patted the other’s back, rolling his eyes a little at the antics. “What do you need?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Some sort of bright swath of fabric would do.” He pointed to the curtain that Skipper had just found. “Like this!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The captain rubbed a flipper on the bottom of his beak, thinking it over, before deciding to let Private have his finding. “All yours.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you, Sir!” Private dove in for a hug, leaving the captain shocked for a second before he softly patted him back.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t mention it.” He nodded, watching the giddy penguin start to leave.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I can’t wait to show this to Kowalski, it’s perfect!” Hugging the roughly folded material, Private rushed back out of the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Kowalski?” Skipper was alone with his thoughts, considering the behavior of his men odd, to say the least. It was a fleeting thought, anyway, as he went back to search for a new picnic blanket.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Private’s journey back narrowly missed bumping into Jo, who had already given out a couple of small cut out hearts to Roger, the glitter glue musical notes making him sing in glee at the gesture. Now, with a larger card, she made her way over to the otter habitat, making sure that she avoided the water when diving into the exhibit.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Knocking on the side of the cave, the slap of her flipper echoed into Marlene’s den.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Come on in!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The chipper voice of the Asian Otter resounded, and Jo waddled her way in, holding the card she had made for her gal pal. Upon seeing various flowers about, the penguin took notice of how neat each rose bouquet was.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Where did you get the flowers?” Jo thought they were gorgeous, the red and pink adding a lot of warmth to the room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Oh these?” Marlene slinked over to see the fresh vases, some much more extravagant than others. “Julien still thinks we are dating, so most of these are actually from him.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You’re not?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, no, we never really were.” She still refused to believe any part of her, even the wild one, would ever find that lemur <em>interesting</em>. “Though, this one was a mystery.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Mystery?” Jo came up, looking at the small yet thoughtful bouquet, the only one to include Marlene’s favorite flowers alongside the roses.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah yeah, get this, I got a tape recording from a secret admirer.” The otter lifted the attached recording, playing it out for the other. Even though the echo of the den added to the obscuring nature, and the quality of the sound was awful, Jo recognized it as Skipper putting on a gruffer voice. She had to stop herself from giggling, not used to hearing that side of her captain.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“That’s a surprise for sure!” Jo nodded, smiling before Marlene leaned on the counter to emphasize her next point with a wave of a paw.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You never know with guys. They can seem so distant and then suddenly bam! The surprise romance begins.” She shared her experience.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Surprise?” Jo questioned, not really thinking much about today, but recalling the odd scene she had witnessed before leaving HQ. “<em>Wait a minute</em>… Kowalski seemed out of sorts today…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Woah wait, <em>Kowalski</em>?” Marlene smiled wide. “You never told me!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea.” Jo tried to keep her tone level, not wanting to ruin the mood of the day before giving the gift. “I think he is incredibly smart, but still has a lot to learn…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Then what did you mean out of sorts?” The otter rose up, tense from the suspense.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“He didn’t have plans to be in the lab.” Even on days off, to think of that scientist outside of that confining space full of theoretical joy was reason for concern.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Well, you may have a surprise in store after all.” Marlene still didn’t think it was going to be anything too wild. She had known Kowalski, and also knew he was the antithesis of romantic gestures. “What about <em>Private</em>? Did he have plans for the day?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Private?” Jo hadn’t thought about that either, but now it added to the oddities of the day. “He was helping Kowalski.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Hmm.” Marlene tried not to butt into the delicate balance of that team, but couldn’t resist giving her a nudge towards another idea. “Aren’t you and Private always together…?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, but we are just friends, and inter-unit relationships aren’t allowed even so.” Jo laughed a little at the otter’s prodding and remembering the funny case that solidified the rule, holding the card a bit tightly between her flippers. “Ah, actually, I came here to give this to you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“For me?” Marlene took the gift, feeling the thick heart-shaped paper before realizing it had to be opened. Inside was a pop-up image of slightly crudely-cut stars with her silhouette in the center, gilded with gold paint. “Wow! That’s so sweet!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry, the edges are wonky… I had a lot of trouble with the scissors.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Aww, don’t worry, this is great!” The otter woman strolled over to her trophy shelf, adding the card amongst her awards. Stepping back, she admired the set, and smiled at Jo. “Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“No problem!” Jo felt a sense of accomplishment wash over her, a small reminder that there were still several other gifts to deliver, least of which were four more for her teammates. “I do have to get going, but good luck with your mystery date!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Mmhm, alright.” Marlene was both excited and terrified at what could await her this evening, knowing her luck in finding a partner in the Zoo. “See you around!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">With the otter going back to slicking down her coat to freshen up, Jo dove out, taking the time to look both ways before crossing the road to make sure Rico wasn’t speeding around a corner. In truth, though the scarred bird was still in the car, he was no longer only joyriding around.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Rico had managed to find a way to ramp up the car onto the Zoo wall, driving it along the top and hoisting it up to the top of the main entrance. Up here, he sat, tired from the lifting but glad to have heeded Kowalski’s instructions on pulley systems in order to offer his girl a gift too.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Best seat in the house.” He grunted out, setting up Ms. Perky to have a better view out across Central Park. It was getting towards sunset, and the pair would be able to watch for fireworks and any glimmers to witness, despite the fog of the city. When the sunset would line up with the skyscrapers, the striped lines of gold made a romantic atmosphere.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Inside headquarters, Private had been working alongside Kowalski to finish hanging up decor, coming up with a great idea to start with a banjo solo in the main room that leads to a sliding dance routine in the newly-dubbed tunnel of love. It took a bit of elbow grease to set up the ramps, but he thought it would be a good way to combine his skill of performing with Kowalski’s expert tune.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Right-o, when Jo gets back, you start the music, and on the cue I’ll open the door and get going on the ramps.” Private was nervous, but it wasn’t stage fright. The butterflies instead were much more intense than any time he had been put in the spotlight previously. “Got it?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Indeed. The acoustics start softly and become intensified by the tunnel once the door is opened, and then your dance is the finale.” Kowalski tried to calm the other penguin down, finally seeing what the corporal’s nerves were all about. Scrambling, Private swiped back his feathers, seeing Jo arriving from the periscope.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“There! I’ll go get in position.” Private slipped over to the tunnel, taking one last look out to the decor and Kowalski, before softly shutting the door to get ready for the big reveal. For once, the scientist was worried, the liminal silence while he waited feeling longer than it was.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Finally, he heard the sound of the hatch and began to strum softly. At first, Jo thought it was one of the records Skipper played, but once the main room came into view she was overwhelmed with happiness.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Decorations of pink, red, and white filled almost every corner, her painting of Antarctica surrounded by little cut out hearts and rows of glitter tape that sparkled. The subtle tones of the banjo brought her attention to the penguin strumming in the middle of the room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“What is all this?” She asked, quickly coming down onto the concrete as an (un)healthy coat of glitter settled on the floor. “I didn’t know you could play!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Really?” Kowalski was a bit stunned and hadn’t known how long it had been since he had needed to play any instruments. He tripped on the next chord a bit, but to an untrained earhole, it wouldn’t have been noticed.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Honestly I didn’t think it was possible with flippers and all…” Perhaps Skipper’s stories weren't such tall tales. “It’s very impressive, and I’m honored to be your Valentine!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Pardon?” Kowalski stopped playing.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I didn’t realize we were allowed to be inter-unit Valentines, but knowing how up to code you are…” She smiled wide. “Of course, now I understand.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Hold on one moment.” Things were getting out of control, as usual when it came to any invention or scheme. “Your interpretation is incorrect. This was meant to be a kind gesture, not a declaration of any sort… I would never ask <em>you</em> or anyone in this Zoo to be <em>my</em> Valentine.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The sudden rush of sadness was yet another surprise for her. It wasn’t a big deal, considering there was no reason for her to be upset in the first place, but she couldn’t help but back off and shy away towards the lab.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Wait, Jo, that doesn’t mean-“ Kowalski face-flippered, getting a bit annoyed that it was all because Private roped him into this. The lab door shutting made him yell in annoyance. “You <em>do</em> have a Valentine!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">At the sound of the commotion, Private meekly opened the door, worried about the yelling.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Golly, that didn’t sound very good.” He worried that this would be another step backwards for his friends, and asked about the situation. “What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“There was another… <em>misunderstanding</em>.” Putting the banjo back in its case, he wished that Valentines’ day would be over already. It was a miserable memory for him already, and not even helping a friend made anything good happen.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I see.” Private didn’t pry but had a few ideas as to what happened. “Suppose Jo won’t be up for any music or shows tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Kowalski sighed, shaking his head as Private deflated, making his way towards the hatch. The corporal took one last look towards the tall bird before leaving. Music was considered the universal language, yet it seemed to have let him down yet again.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The banjo case was strikingly similar to the case a mysterious masked stranger kept his own guitar in. Skipper, with a few duds on and an old desperado mask, was setting the scene on the plateau of Marlene’s habitat. He had been taking notes: candles, moonlight, rose petals… and Spanish guitar.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“So… who exactly <em>are</em> you?” Marlene jokingly asked, propping her head up on a paw as the obvious penguin played on.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“A wanderer.” Skipper’s love of westerns came forth, and he quickly remembered to adjust his tone to disguise himself further. “Blew in on the winds of l’amour and I’ll disappear just as fast.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“L’amour is French, not Spanish.” She sat up a little, grabbing one of the fresh oysters from the basket.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Entiendo cara <em>de muñeca</em>.” Skipper gave the otter a little hint to his identity, his typical nickname for women shrouded easily in the foreign tongue. A riff of impressive notes spiked his dramatic reveal.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You’re sure I don’t know you from somewhere…?” Marlene teased him. “I haven’t met you before?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You could take a closer look.” With a smooth nod, he came closer to Marlene as she got up, smiling at the romantic line.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Ooh, the fireworks!” As she got a bit distracted, Skipper came forward to put his flipper around her to watch the light show with his semi-blind date. With a sense of giddiness, the pair leaned on each other to watch the distant explosions of neon symbols.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The entire zoo was enamored with the display of hearts, stars, and bursts of color. That is, the entire zoo besides the lemurs who feared for having wronged the sky spirits again, and a pair of penguins still underground.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Kowalski decided that this would be the final straw. No more hurting others because of neglecting information or facts. Reaching for his clipboard, he saw the heart he had picked up earlier, and his own sank further. They had finally gotten somewhere with discussing knowledge, and he feared this would prevent future in-depth discussions.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Remembering an invention that would help him forget, he went looking for the old bottle of amnesia mist in their secret weapon compartment. Sliding the handy ketchup bottle out of its spot in the roster, Kowalski tapped it to consider his options one last time before making any sort of rash decision. Taking into account that nothing of note really happened in the past 24 hours, he felt certain forgetting this day wouldn’t have future repercussions.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Pressing the bottle, he was greeted with the sound of silence.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">More like the sound of the mister being empty, but he wouldn’t recall how much of it had been used the day that Private made everyone forget the spilled secrets. Instead, he decided to put his acting skills to good use.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Almost knocking on the lab door, he stopped himself, realizing he never would if he did truly forget. Barging in, he dramatically held the bottle and started walking towards the studio.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Jo! I need your help.” Upon hearing her name, she quickly brushed the last four valentines off the main part of her desk. “I accidentally sprayed myself with amnesia mist!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Huh?” She was caught off guard but had seen such accidents occur during tests before.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I can’t remember <em>anything </em>from the past 24 hours!” With gusto, he pulled up a chair. “I trust <em>you</em> to fill me in on all of the important details.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Me?” Jo was taken aback but felt bad that he could forget the important scientific discoveries he had made the night prior. “Well, the most important thing that happened was figuring out that Macguffium 239 can be manipulated to distort space, not just time, but you promised not to mess with time anymore so that ruled out any experiments. Then, we all got Valentine’s Day off, and you decorated the base and…”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“It was Private’s decorating, actually, and-“ Kowalski knew then the error he had made.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You didn’t lose your memory at all!” Embarrassment rushed back, and she felt hurt that he lied about such a thing.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Aristotle’s debacle!” He face-flippered again, realizing his ego had gotten the best of him for yet another instance of hurting another unintentionally. <em>Why must his right always be in the wrong!? </em></span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She turned away from him, even more upset but unable to find any hidden place of comfort with him around. He spoke up, trying to put her mind at ease.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I really didn’t mean to upset you. In actuality, this was all part of trying, and failing, at doing a kind act to make up for the dreary times before.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Hopefully you won’t mention what happened to Skipper.” Jo still stayed turned away but responded to him. Having had a bit of time to think the day over, she realized that Private never really conveyed exactly <em>how</em> deeply the scientist cared for a certain dolphin. “Also, I hope you understand that I wish you all the best with Doris.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You do?” It was at that moment he connected what she felt now to that same rejection he knew so well, only to a distinguishably lesser degree. After all, nobody was actively crying.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Mmhm.” She turned back to him now, the sensation subsiding. Another realization came to her then, about how there are different ways to care for others besides romantically, and this was a chance to finally make amends. “I still wish to get to know you better. Is that alright, Sir?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“It is.” The return of formalities made him shake his head, unclipping the heart from the clipboard. “Here, you dropped this earlier.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“How did I miss that?” Jo took out the pop-ups that were for each of the teammates and opened Private’s to replace the small cutout with more glue. Slipping another out of the pile, she meekly slid it toward him on the table. “This one is for you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“These were your project for today?” Kowalski looked at the set, before opening the one she had made for him. It was another silhouette, this one surrounded by translucent beakers with various illustrations from an almanac of evolution. Pulling out a tab would fill and empty the beakers with a bright pink slip of paper. “Impressive!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I still need to give the last ones out…” She looked at the other cards before the duo heard the sound of the firework finale starting.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Private went outside to see the lights, you should bring his up now!” Kowalski thought fast, wanting to make it up to the corporal. Jo nodded, a new wave of happiness surging as she knew he would love the card she’d made. Coming up out of the hatch, she came forward, Private hugging her quickly before pointing at the fireworks.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Look!” The penguin pair watched the explosions of lights, each one in sync with the last before an entire row made a giant heart to commemorate this evening. “Wasn’t that amazing?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah!” Jo nodded, before holding the card out to Private. His felt heavier than the others had so far, but as he opened it, the weight was actually flowers made out of little pieces of butterscotch candy, framing his silhouette. “Oh my, I’ll have to unwrap these without ruining the artwork!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t worry, the cutting job is abysmal.” Jo laughed at her struggles, but Private shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Speaking of, Kowalski told me that there was another misunderstanding. Is everything al-write?” He put a flipper up to his face in worry.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I think so. We talked it out and it all worked out for the better.” She still didn’t understand everything about that bird brain, but at least they were in the same book if not on the same page. Better than being in different libraries, at the very least.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">As they smiled in the soft light from the Zoo’s street lamps, the sound of music coming from the open hatch made a unique sound. Coming closer, Private gestured for her to go down first, and found the analyst strumming a new tune. It was more upbeat and was perfect for dancing. He nodded to Private with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Jo.” Private held out a flipper. “Might I have this dance?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She smiled wide, before accepting. This magic moment meant the world to her, but it only got better from there. Private led her out to the long tunnel to the garage, to show off the stage he had made and she was delighted at the sudden performance. Before long, the beep of a car being returned to the garage port let them know Rico and his doll were on their way.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">He ramped off of the makeshift stage in the tunnel, not questioning the crazy shenanigans his friends had managed to get up to. Going back into the main room, Kowalski felt new inspiration and kept playing, allowing the two pairs to keep swaying, swirling, and bopping with his country rhythm.</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Who gave you men permission to dance?” Skipper used the element of surprise to shock all four of the other penguins for a split second, before laughing. “At ease, I think this hootenanny is a <em>swell</em> idea.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Hopping down, he set down the basket where he had stashed his mask and other outfit items, only to take out his hat and guitar. Strumming a new Diddy, he nodded to Kowalski to play along. With the old fashioned square-dance underway, the musicians played well into the night for the partners to dance to their hearts’ content.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>